Lasting machine



June 3, 1947. c ROBINSON 2,421,435

LASTING MACHINE Filed March 6, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l June 3, 1,947. c. A. ROBINSON LASTING MACHINE I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6, 1946 1110 en for Char/es AJPobinson June 3, 1947. c. A. ROBINSON LASTING MACHINE Filed March 6, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inven for Charles A. Robinson Patented June 3, 1947 LASTING MACHINE Charles A. Robinson, Salem, Mass, assignor "to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J a corporation of N ew Jersey Application March 6, 1946, Serial No. 652,346

Claims.

This invention relates to lasting machines, and is herein shown as applied to a power-operated toe-lasting machine which, except as hereinafter noted, may be assumed to be constructed generally as disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,160,846, grantedon June 6, 1939, on an application of F. C. Eastmans and A. F. Pyms. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not thus limited in its applicability.

The machine shown in the above-mentioned Letters Patent is .provided with wipers movable to wipe the toe-end portion of an upper on a last'heightwise of the last, i. e., to perform what is commonly known as an upwiping operation, and movable thereafter to wipe the marginal portion of the upper inwardly over an insole on the last, and also with grippers which apply a pull to the toe end of the upper and control it during the greater portion of the wipin operations of thewipers. It has been proposed heretofore to dispense with such grippers and to provide instead a device having the function of what is commonly known as a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe to cooperate with them in applying a pull to the upper and in controlling it in the lasting operation. An object of the present invention is topr'ovide improved retarder mech anism, with special reference to control of the upper at the sides of the toe near portions thereof beyond the toe which in accordance with the usual practice will have been already lasted. For the purposes in view the construction herein shown comprises a retarder formed to clamp the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe andmounted for tipping movement to adjust itself to the upper on the wipers, and means arranged to engage portions of the retarder comparatively remote from the end of the toe to press them on the upper at the sides of the toe separately from other means whereby the retarder is pressed on the upper at the end of the toe. More particularly, the other means thus acting on the retarder comprises a spring which holds it initially so inclined relatively to a support on which it is mounted as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe and against the resistance of which it is tipped by the wipers early in the upwiping operation into position to clamp the upper also at the sides of the toe during the. latter portion of the upwiping. operation, the retarder being thus tipped about bearing means on its support engaging it in locations substantially as -far from the end of the toe as its upper-engaging faces at the sides of the toe extend. Through this bearing means the retarder, after its tipping movement, is pressed on the upper at the sides ofthe toe as above described, both the retarder and its support being moved as a unit heightwise of the last by the wipers in the latter portion of the upwiping operation. By reason of the pressure thus applied at the sides of the toe insurance is afforded that the upper will be lasted tightly andsmoothly near portions thereof already lasted beyond the toe.

The above and other features of the invention, including novel means for controlling the retarder in its tipping movements "and various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and thereafter pointedout in the claims.

In the drawings,

- Fig. 1 is a view mainly in right-hand side elevation of a portion of the machine shown in the previously mentioned Letters Patent as modified for purposes of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in iront elevation of the retarder and parts associated therewith, with .a portion or the-structure broken away;

Fig. 3 lengthwise of the shoe, showing the retarder and the wipers .in their initial positions;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to. Fig. 3, with the parts as they appear substantially at the beginning of the effective upwiping action of the wipers on the upper;

Fig. 5 is a view also similar to Fig. 3, with the parts as they appear when a portion of the upwiping operation has been completed;

Fig.6 shows the parts as they appear just after the beginning of the movements of the wipers to wipe the marginal portion of the upper inwardly over the insole; and

Fig. "7 is a plan view showing the retarder and the iwipers inthe same positions as in Fig. 6.

,In view of the disclosure in the above-mentioned Letters Patent, such portions of the machine herein shown as are common to that disclosure will be described only in so far as is necessaryfor an understanding of the present invention. Forposition'ing a shoe in proper relation to the toe-lasting means the machine is provided with apla-te 2 constructed and arranged to engage the inner face of the lip a of a welt shoe insole about the end and along the sides ofthe toe and also to engage the bottom of the is a view mainly in vertical section 4 insole adjacent to the lip. Preferably, as indicated, this plate is detachably secured on a holder 4 by means constructed as shown in Letters Patent No. 2,303,342, granted on December 1, 1942, on an application of F. C. Eastmans. Shortly after the beginning of a cycle of power operations of the machine the toe end of the shoe is clamped against the plate 2 by upward movement of a toe rest 6. For lasting the toe end of the shoe the machine is provided with a pair of wipers 8 which are advanced bodily lengthwise of the shoe and are swung or closed inwardly widthwise of the shoe to embrace the upper closely about its toe-end portion and are swung upwardly about an axis (not shown) extending widthwise of the shoe to wipe the upper heightwise of the last, i. e., to perform the upwiping operation. Thereafter the wipers are further advanced and closed to wipe the marginal portion of the upper inwardly over the feather and against the lip of the insole, the lip being supported against the inward pressure of the wipers by the plate 2. In these respects, except as above noted, the construction and manner of operation of the machine to which the invention is herein shown as applied may be assumed to be substantially in accordance with the disclosure of the above-mentioned Letters Patent No. 2,160,846.

For purposes of this invention the grippers shown in the last-mentioned Letters Patent for pulling the upper are dispensed with and the machine is provided instead with improved means arranged to cooperate with the wipers to control the upper in the lasting operation, such means including a retarder identified generally by the reference character I which clamps the marginal portion of the toe end of the upper outspread on the wipers. This retarder, the construction of which will be hereinafter described, is supported by a block I2 adjustable in directions lengthwise of the shoe along a dovetailed guideway I4 (Fig. 2) provided in the lower split end of an upwardly extending rectangular bar IS. A screw I8 in the lower end of the bar serves by contraction of its split portion to clamp the block I2 in adjusted position. The bar It is vertically movable in a guide 20 which is secured to a boss 22 formed on a frame casting 24 with which the machine is provided. The upper end of the bar is connected by a link 26 to one arm 28 of a two-armed lever 30 loosely mounted on a rockshaft 32 supported in bearings on the frame casting 24. The other arm 34 of the twoarmed lever 30 is connected by a spindle 30 to one arm 38 of a two-armed lever 40 fast on the rockshaft 32. The spindle 36 is mounted to turn in a trunnion block 42 pivotally mounted on the arm- 34 and is threaded in another trunnion block (not shown) pivotally mounted on the arm 38. By means of a collar 44 and a hand wheel 46 fast on the spindle 36 and engaging the trunnion' block 42 on its opposite sides respectively th spindle is prevented from moving lengthwise relatively to this block, and accordingly turning movement of the spindle serves to ladjust the two-armed lever 30 about the rockshaft 32 and thereby through the link 26 to adjust the bar I6 and the retarder I0 in directions heightwise of the shoe. Fast on one end of the rockshaft 32 is an arm 48 connected by a downwardly extending link Eilto one arm 52 of a bell-crank lever 54 mounted to turn about a shaft 56. The other arm 58 of this bell-crank lever is provided with a roll 60 in engagement with the periphery of a 4 cam 62 fast on the operating cam shaft 64 of the machine. A spring 66 connected to the arm 58 tends to swing the bell-crank lever 54 in a counterclockwise direction with reference to Fig. 1

and holds the roll 60 normally against the cam.

At the proper time in the operation of the machine a drop b on the cam permits the spring 63-6 to swing the lever 54 in the direction to impart downward movement through the rockshaft 32 and the arm 28 to the bar I6 and the retarder i0 and thus to move the retarder into position to clamp the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers 8 (Fig. 4). In thus moving the retarder downwardly and pressing it on the 5 upper the spring 66 is assisted by another spring 68 connected at its lower end to a second arm III of th two-armed lever 40 and at its upper end to a lever i2 by means of which the tension of the spring 68 may be adjustably varied.

The retarder i0 is so formed as to clamp the upper on the wipers around the end and along the sides of the toe. It comprises a pair of upper-Clamping members I4 each arranged to engage the upper along one side and part way around the end of the toe, and another upperclamping member I6 arranged to bridge any space between the two members I4 at the end of the toe. The two members 14 are mounted on a pin 18 for adjustment toward or from each other in directions widthwise of the shoe, this pin extending midway between its opposite ends through a vertical slot 80 formed in a downwardly extending arm 82 of the block I2. The member i6 is provided with a pair of ears 84 (Fig. 2) mounted on the pin I8 at opposite sides respectively of the depending arm 82, one of these ears having therein a setscrew 86 engaging the pin I8 to hold the pin against lengthwise movement. The member I 6 is arranged to overlap and engage flat faces on the two members I4 to prevent any relative turning movement of the members I4 and I6 about the axis f the pin "I8. For adjusting the two members I4 toward or from each other there are provided two latch members 88 mounted to turn respectively about difierent rods 90, these rods being secured respectively in rearwardly extending lugs 92 on the block I2. The latch members 88 extend downwardly into grooves formed in portions of the members '54 which are located above the pin '58, one of these grooves being shown at 94 in Fig. 3. Threaded on the rods 90 are thumb nuts 95 each provided with a flange 98 arranged to lie in a. groove formed in the hub of the latch memher 83 associated therewith. Each latch member is controlled by a torsion spring I00 which holds it normally in the groove 94 of the corresponding member I4. It will be evident that the nuts 96 when they are turned act through the latch members 88 to adjust the retarder members I4 each independently of the other along the pin I8.

Fast on the outer sides of the rearwardly extending lugs 92 of the block I2 is an upwardly extending yoke member I02 which has threaded 5 in its upper end a thimble I04. Loosely guided in this thimble is the upper end of a rod I06 provided on its lower'end with a head I08 pivotally connected by a pin IIO to ears on the retarder member I6. Between the head I08 and a washer H2 engaging the lower end of the thimble I04 is a compression spring II4. This spring holds the pin I8 initially at the lower end of the slot 80 in the arm 82, as shown in Fig. 3, with the retarder so inclined that when it is moved downwardly by the bar It it will clamp the marginal portion of the upper on the wipers first at the endof the toe. This'is desirable for the reason ,that the wipers are positioned at that time a substantial distance below the edge of the shoe bottom where the marginof the upper may be more -:rea-dily outsprea-d'and clamped upon them about the end of the toe than along the sides of the too near portions beyond the toe which, in accordance with the usual practice, will have already been lasted over the insole. The inclined l positionof-the retarder is determined by bearing members 146 secured by screws i It on brackets I20 which are fast on the opposite sides of the trout end portion of the block I2, these members engaging the upper edges of the retarder members M in locations substantially as far from the end of .the toe of the shoe as the upper-engaging portions oi the retarder extend. Slots I22 in the members H 6, through which the screws 1 l8 extend, permit adjustment of these members to vary the initial inclined position of the retarder. It will be evident that with the pin 18 at the lower end of the slot 813 the spring M4 by its tendency to swing the retarder about the axis of the pin holds the upper edges of the members 14 against the members H6.

"The construction being as above described, the manner of operation of the machine, in so far as it :is of interest with reference to the present invention, :is as follows. The operator presents the shoe in the position determined by the plate 2 with the margin of the toe-end portion of the upper, especially about the end of the toe, outspread above the wipers. Shortly after the startingof'th'e power operation of the machine, after the shoe has been clamped against the plate 2 by the toe rest 6 (Fig. 3), the wipers 8 are advanced and closed and are swung upwardly to bring their edges into positions for effectively wiping the upper heightw'ise of the last. In the course of these movements of the wipers the drop b on the cam 62 arrives in a position opposite the roll 60, whereupon the retarder I and its supporting bar It are moved downwardly by the action of the springs 6 6 and 68 on the rockshaft 32. The retarder, by reason of its inclination, is thus moved into position to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe. The retarder may become effective thus to clamp the upper substantial-1y at the time when the wipers in their upward swinging movements arrive in positions to begin an effective upwiping action on the upper "(Rig 4), as determined by preliminary adjustment of the bar 1 6 by means of the spindle 36. 'flierea'fter, as the wipers continue their upward movements, they lift the portion of the retarder engaged by the upper against the resistance of the spring H4 while moving the pin 18 upwardly along the slot 80, the retarder tipping about the bearing members I ['6 and being guided by the pin-and-slot connection 18, 80 between it and the block I2. At this time the bar l6 remains stationary. 'The wipers and the retarder thus cooperate in applying a pull to the upper about the end of the toe while permitting the margin of the upper to slip inwardly between them, the pressure applied to the margin of the upper and therefore the force of the pull thereon being determined by the spring H4 the force of which is adjustable by the thimble [04. It will be evident that by reason of such tipping movementof the retarder the portion thereof engaging the upper about the end of the toe has an outward wiping action on the margin of the upper as further insurance that the latter will be "smoothiyoutsprea'dover the wipers. When the ipafts :arrive in positions substantially as illustrated in Fig. 5 with the wipers near the edge of the insole, the retarder, by reason of its tipping movement, .has assumed a position substantially parallel to the wipers, clamping the margin of the upper on the wipers along "the sides as well as aboutthe end of the toe. Thereafter, during their further aupwiping movements, the w ipers by their pressure on the portions of the retarder engaged by the bearing members M6 lift the retarder bodily, together with its supporting bar :16, against the resistance of the springs 6'6 and 68, the roll '60 on the arm '58 being moved away from the "cam 62. It will be evident, therefore, that during the latter portion of the upwiping operation an effective pull, "the force of which may be varied by adjustment of the spring =38, is applied to the upper at the sides of the toe while the pressure of the retarder on the upper about the end of the toe is maintained by the spring l M without further compression of this spring. After the completion of the upwip'lng operation the wipers are further advanced and closed to wipe the marginal portion of the upper inwardly over the insole. Shortly after the beginning of such inward movements of the wipers, when they are positioned, for example, as shown in Fig. 6, a rise 0 on the cam 62 arrives in position to engage the roll 60, whereupon the rockshaft 32 is turned by the cam'to raise the bar i6 and withdraw the retarder from the wipers before they complete their inward movements, the retarder resuming the inclined position in which it is shown in Fig. 3.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1 In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for wiping an upper about the toe end of a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder, the retarder being so positioned on said support as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe and being mounted for tipping movement in response to pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp it on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, spring means on said support for yieldingly resisting such tipping movement of the retarder and for pressing it on the upper at the end of the toe, and means arranged to engage the retarder substantially as far from the end of the toe as its upper-engaging faces at the sides of the toe extend and by such engagement to press it on the upper at the sides of the toe.

2. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for wiping an upper about the toe end of a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder, the retarder being so positioned on said support as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe, bearing means fast on said support on which the retarder is mounted for tippingmovement in response to pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, and spring means on said support for yieldingly resisting such tipping movement of the retarder and for pressing it on the upper at the end of the toe, said bearing means'being arranged to engage the retarder substantially as far from the end oi. the toe as its upper-engaging faces at the sides of the toe extend and by such engagement to press it on the upper at the sides of the toe.

3. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for wiping an upper about the toe end of a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and, along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder, the retarder being so positioned on said support as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe, bearing means on said support on which the retarder is mounted for tipping movement in response to pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, spring means for yieldingly resisting such tipping movement of the retarder and for pressing it on the upper at the end of the toe, said bearing means being arranged to engage exterior faces on portions of the retarder which act on the upper at the sides of the toe and by such engagement to press it on the upper at the sides of the toe, and additional means on said support for further controlling the retarder and for guiding it in its tipping movement.

4. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for wiping an upper about the toe end of a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder, the re-.

tarder being so positioned on said support as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe, bearing means on said support on which the retarder is mounted for tipping movement in response to pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, spring means for yieldingly resisting such tipping movement of the retarder and for pressing it on the upper at the end of the toe, said bearing means being arranged to engage exterior faces on the retarder in locations substantially as far from the end of the toe as its upper-engaging faces at the sides of the toe extend and by such engagement to press it on the upper at the sides of the toe, and a pin-and-slot connection between said support and the retarder in a location nearer the end of the toe than said bearing means for further controlling the retarder and for guiding it in its tipping movement.

5. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for wiping an upper about the toe end of a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder on which it is initially so positioned as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe, means on said support arranged to engage exterior faces on portions of the retarder which act on the upper at the sides of the toe to provide bearings on which the retarder is thereafter tipped by the pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, said support having therein a slot arranged to extend hei-ghtwise of the last, a pin carried by the retarder in a location nearer the portion thereof at the end of the toe than said bearings and lying in said slot for guiding the retarder in its tipping movement, and a spring arranged to act on the portion of the retarder at the end of the toe to position said pin initially at one end of said slot and to hold the retarder against said bearings, said spring being yieldable to permit the tipping of the retarder.

6. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for wiping an upper about the toe end of a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and. along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder on Which it is initially so positioned as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe, means on said support arranged to engage exterior faces on portions of the retarder which act on the upper at the sides of the toe to provide bearings on which the retarder is thereafter tipped by the pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, and a pin-and-slot connection between said support and the retarder for guiding the retarder in its tipping movement.

7. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for wiping an upper about the toe end of a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper out spread on the Wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder on which it is initially so positioned as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe, the retarder being mounted for tipping movement thereafter by the pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, a rod pivotally connected to the portion of the retarder at the end of the toe and arranged to extend heightwise of the last, a guide for said rod, and a spring on said rod against the resistance of which the retarder is thus tipped by the pressure of the upper thereon.

8. In a lasting machine, the combination with Wipers for wiping an upper about the toe end of a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder mounted for movements heightwise of the last, spring means on said support for tipping the retarder independently of any such movement of the support into position for clamping the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe, the retarder being mounted for reverse tippingmovement against the resistance of said spring means by the pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, and means on said support arranged to engage the retarder substantially as far from the end of the toe as its upper-engaging faces at the sides of the toe exiend to press it on the upper at the sides of the 9. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for wiping an upper about the toe end of a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder mounted for movements heightwise of the last, spring means on said support for tipping the retarder independently of any such movement of the support into position for clamping the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe, the retarder being mounted for reverse tipping movement against the resistance of said spring means by the pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also 'at'the sides of the toe, and bearing means on said support about which the retarder is thus reversely tipped, said bearing means engaging the retarder in locations substantially as far from the end of the toe as its upper-engaging faces at the sides of the toe extend and being arranged to press the retarder on the upper at the sides of the toe.

10. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers for Wiping an upper about the toe end of a last into lasted position, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support fOr said retarder mounted for movements heightwise of the last, spring means on said support for tipping the retarder independently of any such movement of the support into position for clamping the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe, the retarder being mounted for reverse tipping movement against the resistance of said spring means by the pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, means on said support arranged to engage exterior faces on portions of the retarder which act on the upper at the sides of the toe to provide bearings on which the retarder is thus reversely tipped and to transmit force from said support to the retarder to press it on the upper at the sides of the toe, and additional means for guiding the retarder in its tipping movements.

11. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, said retarder being initially so positioned as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe and being mounted to tip in response to pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon in the upwiping operation into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, and a support for the retarder mounted for rectilinear movement with it heightwise of the last in response to continued upwiping movements of the wipers only after the completion of such tipping movement of the retarder.

12. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder mounted for movement heightwise of the last, the retarder being initially so positioned'on said support as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe and being mounted to tip relatively to the support in response to pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon early in the upwiping operation into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, and spring means for holding said support against movement heightwise of the last by the wipers until after such tipping movement of the retarder, said spring means being then yieldable to permit movement of the support with the retarder as the wipers continue their upwiping movements.

13. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder mounted for movement heightwise of the last, the retarder being initially so positioned on said support as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe and being mounted to tip relatively to the support in response to pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, spring means on said support against the resistance of which the retarder is thus tipped early in the upwiping operation while the support remains stationary, and additional spring means against the resistance of which the support and retarder are thereafter movable as a unit heightwise of the last by the wipers during the remainder of the upwiping operation.

14. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder mounted for movement heightwise of the last, the retarder being initially so positioned on said support as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe, means on said support arranged to engage the retarder in locations substantially as far from the end of the toe as its upper-engaging faces at the sides of the toe extend to provide bearings on which the retarder is mounted to tip in response to pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, spring means on said support against the resistance of which the retarder is thus tipped early in the upwiping operation while the support remains stationary, and additional spring means against the resistance of which the support and retarder are thereafter movable as a unit heightwise of the last in response to pressure of the upper on the retarder at the sides of the toe during the remainder of the upwiping operation.

15. In a lasting machine, the combination with wipers movable heightwise of a last to perform an upwiping operation on the toe end of an upper on the last, of a retarder for clamping the marginal portion of the upper outspread on the wipers about the end and along the sides of the toe, a support for said retarder mounted for movement heightwise of the last, the retarder being initially so positioned on said support as to clamp the upper on the wipers first at the end of the toe and being mounted to tip relatively to the support in response to pressure of the upper at the end of the toe thereon into position to clamp the upper on the wipers also at the sides of the toe, a spring arranged to press the retarder on the upper at the end of the toe and yieldable in response to such tipping of the retarder early in the upwiping operation while said support remains stationary, the support and retarder being thereafter movable as a unit heightwise of the last by the. wipers during the remainder of the upwiping operation, and another spring for yieldingly resisting such movement of the support and retarder and for pressing the retarder on the upper at the sides of the toe through the support, said springs being adjustable each independently to vary the pressures applied by the retarder to the upper at the end and the sides of the toe respectively.

CHARLES A. ROBINSON. 

